The Reason He Fights
by Nueva Yui Maxwell
Summary: Midna always knew Link had the strength and the courage to defeat Gannondorf. But on the way to the final battle, he had lost sight of the reason he had been fighting for since the beginning. It was time for him to be reminded...TP, slightly AU, IxL
1. Chapter 1

The Reason He Fights

Chapter 1

Link gasped as Ganondorf's blade slashed through his side. The pain was overwhelming and he dropped his guard for a second too long as a second blow pierced the shoulder of his sword arm. The Master Sword fell to ground with a clinging sound. Link instinctively raised his other hand to the wound, bringing the Hylian shield in front of his body. The Evil Lord laughed as he rammed the hilt of his huge sword into the shield. The young man cried out, arm bones breaking despite their steeled protection. Link fell to his knees, light headed from the blood lost and from the pain and frowned, wondering where he had gone wrong. Wasn't he prepared enough for that fight? As he breathed deeper, trying to calm down the surge of panic stirring inside of him, Link choked and started to cough up blood. The world seemed to darken slowly and the blond Ordonian curled forward, searching desperately for air. The last thing he remembered after was Ganondorf laughter and Midna's screams.

* * *

Only the Goddesses knew only she had been able to fend off Ganondorf's attacks long enough to warp out of the castle. With Zelda gone, Midna had brought Link to the only place she knew where he could be healed. Now the only two things she wished for was to make it in time...and to not scare the petty humans away with her appearance.

* * *

Renado woke up quickly to Ilia's screams. Grabbing a torch, he ran to the young woman's bedside. She was white as a ghost, gasping slightly, eyes wide-open, frozen in fear. The Shaman looked over to where her gaze was locked and gasped himself too. But what made his heart drop to the floor was not the small odd black, white and orange creature looking back at him with one big red eye, it was the sight of the young man, easily recognizable with the green clothes, the sword and the shield. Trying not to sound too alarmed despite the growing pool of blood beneath the boy, Renado turned to Ilia: 

"Quickly child, go wake up the Gorons of the village and bring back as much hot spring water as you can."

Ilia nodded, jumping out of bed and running fast into the cold night to do as asked. In the mean time, Renado picked up Link from the floor and somehow felt relieved as the young man groaned, the pain of being lifted up cutting through his unconsciousness. The Shaman started to undress Hyrule's Last Hope, sizing the awful state he was in. The wounds by themselves were not mortal ones, but the young man had so many, not counting old infected, badly healed ones, that Renado seriously feared for Link's life.

The door of the hut opened with a crash as Ilia ran back in, three Gorons following her, each carrying huge clay jar on their shoulders, undoubtedly filled with spring water. They set the jars by the bed, and walked out, already going back to the springs for more. Despite the tears running down on her cheeks as she felt the situation sink in, Ilia went to the cupboard and brought back clean white linens. Midna silently watched as both the Shaman and Link's childhood friend dipped the cloths in water before softly cleaning the blond's wounds. She looked away, ashamed of being part of the reason for the caked blood they were washing away, missing the healing properties of the water. She looked up to catch Ilia's slightly scared stare at her and, feeling somehow unwelcomed at the moment, the Twili turned around and disappeared from the hut, only to reappear outside. She sat on the railing of the balcony and looked up at the sky, lit ablaze by the sunrise. The yellow light reminded her so much of her home that she had to bite her lower lip to keep the tears from falling on her cheeks.

"Stupid fragile humans..." she muttered, not really thinking it, not really feeling better from saying it out loud either.

* * *

AN: I'd like to extend my sincere apologies to you all wonderful readers for the very screwed-up layout of this fic. It seems that I suck greatly at htmHELL formating, aka WHY THE FUCK DID YOU SCREW UP MY PRETTY INITAL LAYOUT Thank you very much.

Reviews and constructive feedback is very much welcome.

Beta-read by the wonderful Melanie. Thanks again sweetie


	2. Chapter 2

The Reason He Fights

Chapter 2

The night had long fallen down when Renado finally came out of the hut. He breathed in deeply the fresh air, stretching his sore shoulders, trying to clear his head for a moment. He looked sideways as he heard someone clear its throat and meet the red gaze of the small strange creature. In the heat of things, he had totally forgotten about it and took sometime to observe it, concluding that it certainly didn't come from their realm. One could only hope it would understand what he was about to say:

"Are you all right?" he asked, although the creature didn't look hurt. It nodded slowly, before silently returning a question of its own. Renado looked back at the closed door of the hut:

"...You came in just in time to save his life..." the Shaman said, turning his head in time to see the creature's eye lit with relief. He sighed: "...but not all is won. He has a fever, and this night will be crucial for him. All depends now on his will to live..."

Midna's heart skipped a beat. The human had just confirmed her greatest fear. Link's will to survive had been why they were here in the first place. The Twili knew the young man had the strength and the courage to defeat Gannondorf. But along the way to the final battle, Hyrule's Hero had lost sight of the reason he had been fighting for since the beginning. Perhaps it was time for him to be reminded, she thought. Midna looked straight in the eyes of Renado and for the first time spoke to another human besides the Triforce's holders:

"I have a favour to ask of you. Please let the young woman inside tend to my friend at all times..."

Renado nodded; the request not hard to fulfill since Ilia had already asked to help in any ways she could the young man that selfishly helped her when no one wanted to. The Shaman wondered for a moment why the creature asked for such favour since Ilia's memory was still lost. Wasn't it hard enough on the young man to be around her and act as they were total strangers when it was oblivious that he cared deeply for the young woman? But knowing the Goddesses sometimes worked in strange ways, he decided to trust the creature's instincts for the moment.

"I will be in the hot springs if you need me. Ilia already knows." Renado said as he started to walk away. A good bath, a good meal and some hours of sleep were in store for him. If Link's condition was to worsen, the Shaman would need all of his strength.

* * *

The rest of the night had been strangely quiet for Ilia. The young man's steady breathing had been the only noise filling the air. She kept cooling down Link's body with a cloth dipped in chilled water, washing away the small beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Now alone with him, Ilia took the time to look at him more closely. She brought the cloth to his forehead and over his eyes. She remembered how blue they were and how they reminded her of the sky by a clear sunny day, how honest they were and how they seem to be an open window to Link's soul. Next was the refined nose, the high cheekbones, the full lips. Oh how the young woman wished they would curl up again in that soft smile she had often seen him with. She swallowed hard; for some reason she would have given anything right now and then to have him smile at her again. Now the cloth was past down the defined jaw line and on the top of broad shoulders and toned chest muscles that spoke of long days of training. Colin had once told her that Link was a herder in his village. Looking at the strong biceps and calloused hands, she had no trouble seeing him pile stacks of hay and bring down rowdy goats. Carefully evading the bandaged areas, Ilia couldn't help but trail her fingertips over Link's hard stomach, amazed by how soft his skin was. She muffled a startled cry as the young man hand clasped around her wrist. She looked up and meet his glassy gaze: the fever was still raging his body, but at least he had come out of his coma. 

"Ilia..." he rasped.

"Don't talk." she scolded him with a gentle smile before she reached for a cup that she dipped into the hot water coming from the springs. Slowly helping him to sit up slightly by sliding an arm around his upper back, she brought the cup to his lips and held it there, pouring the water in his open mouth in small sips. It didn't take long before he brought one hand up, lifting the cup higher, drinking the water too fast and choking on it. He coughed for a moment, moaning as needles of pain pierced his body because of the effort, causing him to drop the cup on the bed, spilling the rest of the water on the mattress.

"Be careful! You'll reopen your wounds!" Ilia said with a frown, traces of concerns sipping through her voice tone. Once Link's fit of coughs calmed down, the young woman started to slowly bring him back down, but he stopped her by passing an arm around her waist.

"Link...you need to rest. Please..." she begged him, looking up to meet his gaze. She gasped as she realized that the blue eyes were clearer than before, a soft glint dancing in it. The hold around her waist became stronger and the young man sat up on his own.

"Ilia..." he softly smiled before lowering his head, covering her lips with his. Ilia's eyes shot wide open, her heart beat suddenly ringing in her ears. The kiss was gentle and soft, exactly like him. She closed her green eyes slowly as she started to kiss him back despite herself. To her surprise, the kiss grew more demanding as he brought her closer to him with the arm around her waist, the other sneaking up to cup her head, a calloused thumb drawing circles on the soft spot below her earlobe. In the back of her mind, she noticed that Link had actually drawn her onto the bed, and she was half-kneeling, half-sitting over his lap. Their proximity caused her to moan softly and her hands close into fists on his chest as the young man deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth, massaging hers with it.

They broke the kiss for need of air, and as she gasped for it, feeling light headed and dizzy, Link kissed his way to her earlobe, licking and nibbling where his thumb was previously. Biting her lips to keep her from moaning again and opening her eyes to look at the ceiling, Ilia tried to regain some composure for a moment:

"Link...please...I...you...shouldn't...Oooh..."

In her moment of inattention, Link had slipped one hand underneath her shirt to gently cup her right breast, his thumb teasing her nipple, sending prickling waves of pleasure that caused Ilia to moan louder than she would have wished, closing her eyes as she slipped her hands into the man's soft blond locks. Boldly, she tugged his hair slightly and as he left the crook of her neck she caught his lips with hers, kissing him with a passion she had no idea she was capable of. Her gesture made him moan, and the noise ignited a fire in her lower abdomen, something she had never felt before. Her knees felt weak and she was about to fall when Link moved one leg over his thigh and she brought the other on the other side so that she would finally sit directly in his lap. It seems to her that their clothes offered a very thin layer between their skin now, and she could definitely feel the effects she had on him. Slightly embarrassed, Ilia tried to wiggle out of her position, but only to cause more friction between their thighs. She moaned, overwhelmed by the new sensation, and she instinctively rocked her hips again, her movement rewarded by a growl from Link. She groaned as his hand left her breast and she froze slightly as she realized that he was tugging her shirt upward. She stopped kissing him, opening her eyes to lock her gaze with his. What she saw in it left her breathless, and she lifted her arms over her head. Link took the hem of her shirt and slowly raised it up nearly past her shoulders. But he stopped with a groan, frowning deeply, biting his lower lip almost hard enough to draw blood. His eyes started to glaze over again and that's when Ilia realized they had totally forgotten about his injured shoulder. She brought her arms back down in time to catch him as he slipped into unconsciousness again.

His head resting against her chest, she tried to calm down her erratic heartbeat by breathing deeply. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire and no doubt her lips were rosy and swollen. She lowered Link back to the bed and slide down from it, suddenly feeling cold without his soft skin against her. She closed her arms around her chest, trying to retain some of Link's warmth for a moment and jumped as she heard the hut's door open and close. She tore her gaze from the young man to meet Renado's concern look.

"Ilia...are you all right, child? You look flushed..."

She nodded: "I...I just...need some fresh air..." she said, fighting against tears as she ran outside, leaving the Shaman with Link.

Once outside the hut, she ran to the empty bed in the hot springs Inn, and threw herself on it, muffling her cries with the pillow. She didn't understand why she needed to cry, but she did so until her eyes were dry and until she fell asleep, exhausted.

* * *

Reviews and constructive feedback is very much welcome.

Beta-read by the wonderful Melanie. Thanks again sweetie


	3. Chapter 3

The Reason He Fights

Chapter 3

Ilia woke up with the sunset, and as she stretched in the bed, she felt the token of her last two days without sleep. She noticed that someone had put a clean change of clothes on the chair by the bed. She slid off the bed, and took the clothes: almost three days in her pyjamas were enough for her. She felt like she desperately needed a bath, and she knew the healing waters of the hot springs would help relax her muscles. With the night falling down, the springs would be empty and Ilia needed a moment of privacy to organize her thoughts.

The young lady climbed up to the springs and happily peeled off her dirty clothes. She slowly walk into the springs, getting used to the temperature of the water. She kneeled down once she reached the middle of the pool, and used a small clay jar to pour off water over her body. She instantly felt her muscles untangled, the tiredness washing away with each droplets of water running down her body. With the moonlight as the only light, she looked down at herself, the warmth of the water suddenly reminded her of Link's hot breath on her skin, his fingers leaving burning trails on her stomach, his soft lips over hers. She shivered slightly at the thought of what would have happened next if the young man had not passed out. Her reason thanked the Goddesses for it while the rest of her body craved for more. And her heart, well, her heart was a complete mess and she had no idea why. She barely knew Link after all, but ever since she meet him, she felt drawn to him like a moth is drawn to the flame. Somehow, she felt at ease around him, she felt comfortable, she felt like she had known him all her life. She stopped her musing for a moment as she filled up the jar and dipped it over her head, letting the water wash out the dust in her hair.

"Aren't you supposed to be at his bedside at all time?" asked a strange voice in the night. Ilia yelped out of surprise, the jar crashing against the rock where she had thrown it in retaliation. But it did not do much damage as the little creature that appeared in her bedroom with Link seemingly came out of the rock and slowly floated nearby Ilia, lying on its side, in thin air. It raised an eyebrow, looking up and down at Ilia before the girl realized her unclothed state and crossed her arms over her chest, not without glaring at the creature. It was answered with a smirk:

"You're not the first naked human female I have seen, don't worry. I just don't understand what he finds attractive about you..."

The creature's words brought a blush to Ilia and she looked at it, bewildered. Could Link truly find her attractive? The Twili rolled her eyes at the young woman's questioning gaze.

"Tsk...and here I thought he made it pretty clear to you last night...You're one dense female..."

Ilia was already out of the water, drying herself with a soft clothe. The blush on the human girl deepened as the meaning of the creature's comment sank in: "You...You saw us?"

"Bleh, more like heard you. Ooooh...Aaaaah..." she mimicked in a mocking tone, "...And the moaning and the groaning...tsk...you humans certainly have strange ways to communicate your feelings" she added, sarcasm written all over her words.

The young woman was about to scold the creature on how rude it was to listen to them as she finished dressing herself, but she was interrupted by Renado's arrival.

"I didn't expect to find you both here..." he said, looking back and forth between Midna and Ilia. The Shaman felt like he had walked in at an inappropriate moment between the two of them, but kept that observation to himself. "...but this will me save a trip around the village. Link has regain consciousness."

The announcement made Midna smirk since she had always known Link would come through it, although Renado could swear he heard a sigh of relief coming out of her, while Ilia gasped before grinning, beaming with relief and happiness. She fought against the idea of running all the way to the hut, and silently followed Renado down the hill. Her heart was racing and she felt like butterflies had invaded her stomach, and she wondered why she suddenly felt so nervous at the thought of seeing Link again. Her eyes widened at the thought of facing him after what had happen the night before. Jogging to the village's leader, she asked:

"Did...Did he said anything when he woke up?"

Renado look at the young lady, confused by her question. "No...not really. He was pretty confused as to how he got to Kakariko Village, though. The last thing he seemed to remember is how he got his wounds."

"Oh..." Ilia froze in place. Then the creature was wrong. Their interlude must have been induced by Link's fever, not because he found her attractive, she told herself. She should be happy, she would never have to talk about that night to anyone. She should have been happy, yet she felt like she had been stabbed through the heart...

* * *

Reviews and constructive feedback is very much welcome.

Beta-read by the wonderful Melanie. Thanks again sweetie


	4. Chapter 4

The Reason He Fights

Chapter 4

It seems that the news of Link being injured had travelled quickly within the rebellious circles of Hyrule. The quiet village of Kakariko was now buzzing with noises as each races Link had help were now helping back. As the group approached the hut, Midna swiftly disappeared in Ilia's shadow, hiding from the new faces. Turning the corner, Ilia recognized two Zoras, each one carrying blue clay jars filled with soup made by the Yetis, well-known for it's healing powers, as Renado explained while they passed them by. The leader of the Goron tribe was instructing two of his best soldiers to guard the young Ordonian at all cost against anything that seemed suspicious to them. She also noticed near the pound, at the village entrance, one Hylian caring for a reddish mane horse that she instantly recognized as Epona. They were about to enter the hut when its door opened, Telma walking through it with a small worried frown. So lost in her thoughts, the bartender didn't even noticed the young woman in front of her and nearly crashed into Ilia.

"Hey! Watch it!..." she barked before looking down: "Oh!...Hey there Ilia, darling." She smiled softly, hints of sadness lingering in her eyes.

"You're going to visit Link?" she asked, putting a comforting hand on the younger woman's shoulder as she nodded: "...Be strong, darling." Telma looked back at the hut's door: "He's going to need it..." she added as she walked away towards the Hylian, shaking her head slightly.

Ilia looked at her for a moment, confused by her words. Her thoughts were cut short as Renado called her, leading her in the hut before him. As soon as she was in her room, she felt the heavy atmosphere surrounding Link. Colin, Talo and Beth were by his bedside, silent and looking grim. The young man looked up at the new visitors, and Ilia was taken back by the emptiness of his gaze. The blue eyes once filled with determination and with courage, were now glazed with defeat and self-doubt. As if Link had guessed the stab of sadness Ilia felt the moment their eyes met, he quickly looked away, almost in shame. Colin stood up from the chair he had sit in, looking at his feet before looking up again at Talo and Beth. He took the girl's hand and started to pull her away from the blond man's bedside.

"We should let Link rest." he softly said to his two friends and they nodded back at him, somehow relieved to leave the heavy atmosphere in the room.

"We'll be back tomorrow" Beth added as she gently nudged Talo to walk out of the room.

The older brother looked at Link as if he wanted to say something, but bite his lower lip instead, and he hurried out of the room, but not before he quickly squeezed Ilia's hand in comfort. The young woman swallowed hard, a myriad of questions coming to her mind, all concerning Link's sudden change in demeanour. But she walked in silence to his bed, wondering what she should do now. Renado was on the other side of the bed, checking carefully Link's bandages, noting those that needed to be changed.

"The wounds were not too serious," said Renado as he reached for healing water and clean bandages, "And you should be able to bear arms again in a week or so. Your shoulder has nothing damaged beside skin and muscles, so you might be sore at first." the Shaman added as he unwrapped Link's right arm. The young man nodded, seemingly lost in thoughts, and visibly winced when Renado lightly pressed his forearm.

"The broken bones should be mended by tomorrow night, but it'll be very weak for a while. I'd strongly suggest you work it out before holding your shield again". The last comment made the young man frown and Ilia stopped herself from scolding him. Was he already thinking of his next battle? She tried to muster her most sincere smile as she fluffed his pillow:

"You were very lucky, you know..." The young man didn't seem fazed by her comment, and kept looking at his hands in his lap. It was Ilia's turned to frown, wanting to shake Link until he reacted, or at least until he realized what terrible fate he had flirted with two nights ago. Renado looked up from his healing work, sensing Ilia's anger:

"Ilia, would you mind preparing a bed in the hot spring inn? I'm sure you are eager to have your own bed back and if Link is better enough tomorrow, we could move him there."

Ilia looked down at Link again, his hands now closed into fists. Her heart sank in her stomach and she lifted her gaze to meet the Shaman's. She opened her mouth to protest; she didn't want Link to think that he was a nuisance, but Renado's head shake changed her mind.

"Ah...I'll go wash a set of sheets..." she sighed before she left the room, taking with her Link's bloodied tunic. If she was to do laundry in the middle of the night, might as well make it worth.

* * *

Ilia pushed the green shirt underneath the water, sighing as the foam turned pink again. She couldn't believe how much blood the fabric was holding. She felt her heart squeeze as she wondered if the blood was all Link's. The thought of the young man made her frown and she threw more soap on the washing rock before she rubbed the tunic hard against it. Her arm's muscles were aching from washing the bed sheets, but somehow she could find energy each time she thought of Link's reaction a moment ago in the hut.

"Tsk. There's no need to add more holes in it you know" Midna smirked as she revealed herself from Ilia's shadow. The young woman yelped in surprise and threw the tunic in the water basin, glaring at the creature:

"Do you always have to sneak on people like this?"

"Your reaction is worth it..." Midna answered with a chuckle, "beside, Link never complained about it. Maybe you should relax or something..."

Ilia groaned at the comment and picked up the Hero's clothes again. She started to rinse it thoroughly and stopped with a sigh, her mind definitely somewhere else. She looked up at the creature again. It was looking back at her, the only visible eyebrow raised, as if it was waiting for the question burning on Ilia's lips.

"Can...can you tell me what happened to him...to Link?" she finally asked after a moment. She didn't want to pry, but Link's change in behaviour was worrying her more than she would have wanted to admit. She might not know him well, but she was deeply convinced that he wouldn't have let defeat sink in that easily. And never in her life she would have believed him to get reckless. Something was wrong, and she could only think that something more than injuries had happened the night Link appeared in the hut.

"Hum...well, first he received a slash to the stomach, and then his shoulder was pierced and he dropped his sword. That wasn't very smart from him, and all he had to defend himself was the shield and then..." started Midna, one finger over her lips as she seemed to recall the events of that night. She looked sideways at Ilia and caught the impatient glare from the young woman:

"No...you know exactly what I meant...What _truly_ happened to Link?" she asked again, emphasizing each word this time. The creature sighed and floated to the rock by Ilia, sitting down before looking right in her emerald eyes.

"Evil is what happened to him."

"Evil? But...but if he was cursed or poisoned, there is a cure, no?" asked Ilia, her heart swelling with hope. But the creature's head shake washed it away:

"He was not cursed nor poisoned or spellbound. As you might have realized, Link is..." Midna stopped for a moment, searching for the right words, "pure-hearted. But Evil has finally tainted it. He has seen...lived so much in a short period of time, more than one could imagine going through in one lifetime, that it has taken a toll on him..."

There was another moment of silence between the two females, both caught in their own thoughts. When Ilia finally looked back up from her hands to Midna, she knew the story didn't end there.

"But Link is resilient, he is determined to make this place a better world for everyone. However, he wanted to make it better for one person in particularly. But Evil took the one person he held most precious over all, and since then, he has never really been the same...Link... is heartbroken..." Midna slowly said, realizing how deeper Link's wounds were as she put words on what she had seen and lived with him.

She realized that it had not started with Ganondorf's battle, but Link's decline went back to the moment he had learn of Ilia's lost memories. The signs were subtle, she recalled, but they were there. 'I shouldn't have been so hard on him.' she regretted, 'what a friend I am to him...' She then felt a warm hand closing over hers. So lost in her thoughts, she had not noticed Ilia getting closer to her. She took her hand away and floated farther from the human, not caring in the world if she had hurt her feelings.

But Ilia's was too troubled by the knowledge of Link being heartbroken to take offence. Having his heart broken meant that he loved another woman. She felt sorry for his loss, but she also felt something else. Something that made her heart ache, her throat dry, her eyes prickling with tears. It tasted like deception on her tongue and a part of her wanted to laugh at the innocent thought she had entertained ever since Link had helped her and Telma in getting safely to Kakariko Village. Why did she dare hope it made her special in his eyes? After all, he helped so many before and after her. No one else was special for him except for the one he had lost. Somehow that thought was the most hurtful one, and Ilia quickly squeezed the water out of Link's tunic, suspending it with the bed sheet before jogging away from the spring, away from the hut. As she felt the creature following, undoubtedly wanting to hide in her shadow again, the young woman turned around to face it:

"Please...I'd like to be alone..." she said, her voice breaking despite her efforts to hide her sorrow. The creature stopped to float in mid-air, and as Ilia moved forward again, she knew it was watching her intently. She didn't care what it could think of her, or what comment it would make on her infantile behaviour. Ilia couldn't stand to be around anything that would remind her of Link. She followed the path to Death Mountain, wanting to be as far as possible from him. When she finally stopped, she sat down, curling herself against the red rock, hoping the thick wall between her and those captivating blue eyes would lessen the sadness in her heart. But when tears rolled down her cheeks, she knew it was impossible...


End file.
